This work is related to the development of direct current (DC) systems in distribution networks.

A review of the scientific literature on the Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC) method was conducted to assess its applicability to a case study involving converters in a Medium Voltage Direct Current (MVDC) network for deriving Low Voltage Direct Current (LVDC) networks. The ADRC control method is compared with traditional control strategies such as Proportional, Integral, Derivative, or PI(D) control. The report is structured as follows:

Chapter 1 presents the state of the art, highlighting that control systems in industrial/energy sectors are predominantly centered around PI(D) regulators.

Chapter 2 introduces ADRC control, formalizing the frequency response of the ADRC regulator mathematically, allowing for a comparison with the PI structure. General formulas are derived to ensure that the control action of the ADRC regulator is equivalent to that of a PI regulator in all cases.

Chapter 3 offers a comparison between the implementations of the two control schemes, ADRC and PI, based on the results from the previous chapter.

Chapter 4 provides simulation results for voltage control of a Dual Active Bridge (DAB) converter that powers an increasingly complex LVDC network. The performance in response to network disturbances is compared for both control architectures (ADRC and PI) using the synthesis procedures presented in the preceding chapters.

Chapter 5 extends the equivalent model of the MVDC network to provide a more accurate representation of the power supply network and the phenomena that may arise. The regulators (ADRC and PI) are then evaluated not only based on their effectiveness in regulating the output voltage from the DAB but also on their ability to contain oscillations in its input voltage. Under these operating conditions, the ADRC regulator achieves superior performance compared to the PI, driven by a different synthesis strategy for the parameters.

In the conclusion, in addition to highlighting the performance improvement achieved with ADRC control, its greater robustness compared to PI control is also noted, especially in relation to variations in the equivalent model parameters when they are not fully known or are highly variable.